Head On Collision
by janabelle
Summary: Jack Barakat; not usually the object of ones affections and desires. That is, until he meets Alex Gaskarth.. Rated M just in case.
1. Chapter 1

Jack's POV

Middle School had dragged on slowly. As had freshman and sophomore year; why was Junior year going to be any different? Was anything going to change? Was I going to change; or was I going to be boring Jack Bassam Barakat until the day I died? Alright, so I'm not exactly boring. Yes, I play the guitar and I'm known for my funky chicken and running man dance moves at the random parties that older kids would throw but that's it. I'm not boring, but I'm not overly exciting either.

I was bullied all the way through middle school. My nose is big, I'm "too skinny," my pants are too tight etc. The bullies would come up with a different excuse everyday for two years to beat me up for. I would go home with a new bruise every day. I guess I had become immune to it; I just didn't feel the pain anymore.

I peered through the grime covered window and pulled a face. I spied the school coming up on my right. I sniffed in disgust and coughed quietly. The old yellow school bus smelled the same as it did the last two years; gas, vomit and b.o. It obviously made the bus ride all that more fun in the mornings and afternoons. Notice my sarcasm, please. The bus slowed to a stop outside; the bus driver hitting the same bit of curb as he always did. I jolted forward as he hit the bump and cursed under my breath at his inability to drive properly. Not that I would know how to drive either; I don't have my license. But I could guarantee I could drive better than this douche bag. I stood up and followed the girl who was sitting beside me off the bus. I stepped off and up onto the pavement. I stopped and stared at hell; also known as Dulany High School. I frowned; must I go in there for another two years of my life? Must I endure it until graduation? I sighed; I knew the only possible answer to come from this was yes. There was no way that my parents would let me just drop out of High School.

_"Get an education first; then we'll talk about your future."_

It was always the same. I guess you could say that my parents didn't understand me. They just didn't get what I was putting up with at school; not that I would tell them if they asked. They didn't understand why my grades were awful; I didn't understand half the shit they taught in Spanish, I hated poetry and I didn't see the point in maths. They also didn't understand why I didn't have more friends or a girlfriend for that matter. They just didn't get me.

With one more sigh and a flick of my fringe from in front of my eyes, I made my way to the front doors of the school; stepping over the horizon clutching my folder to my chest. I took a few steps and glanced up and around the corridor. Students already lined the lockers; and some moved in between in small groups. I smiled slightly when I saw my two best mates; Rian Dawson and Zack Merrick at the other end of the corridor standing and talking by our lockers.

"What are you smiling at, Jack-off?"

I heard a sneer and I was shoved from behind; sent flying forward and landing face first on the tiles of the corridor. I sighed and lifted my head; looking out to the people in the corridor through my dark fringe. The all stood having their conversations. They didn't notice; only Zack and Rian had turned to face me. I rolled my eyes and sighed; bring my palms to the floor and pushing myself up onto my knees. I knelt and grabbed my folder as well as the few papers that had fallen out. I got to my feet and looked up at my usual bully; Christ Stanley. Asshole. They turned away from me and made their way further down the corridor; shoving obviously freshman out of their way. I looked up and found Zack waving me over. I shook my head slowly. There was no way I was dealing with this shit for another year. I backed away from the crowd slowly and smacked into someone; knocking them down. I nearly lost my balance; grabbing hold of the door frame to stop me from falling on top of them.

"Hey, watch it would you?" a voice yelled from the ground; a thick English accent making me turn around.

I stared down at the boy on the ground. He sat up; one hand resting on the concrete of the steps and the other moving his fringe out of his face. His light brown hair was covered by a black beanie that looked too big for his head and a black and white checked cotton scarf hung loosely around his neck. He wore a leather jacket and what looked to be a grey sweater; the ends of the sleeves stuck out from the end of the jacket. His jeans were rolled up at the end and blue boat shoes donned his feet. He adjusted his beanie on his head and looked up at me; frowning when he found me staring.

"Oh, um, I'm so sorry," I cleared my throat and held out my hand to him.

He slid his into mine and I pulled him up to his feet; bending down to pick up the black notebook that lay open on the step beside him. I snapped it closed when I picked it up; not wanting to invade his privacy. With a slight smile on my face, I held out the notebook to him.

"Thanks," he said; chewing the right side of his bottom lip and took the book from me.

"No sweat," I shrugged.

He looked up at me again; confusion written on his face.

"It means no problem, you're welcome," I explained; slightly amused by his ignorance towards a phrase I used all the time.

"Oh," he broke eye contact. "Can you point me in the direction of the office please?"

"Are you new?" I asked him.

'No duh, Barakat! Have you seen him before? No! Seriously! You're an idiot.'

"Yeah," he nodded. "The office? It's the least you can do, given that you knocked me down."

"Alright," I blushed and turned back to the corridor. I pointed. "Just follow this corridor all the way to the end; take the doorway on the right and it's the first door on the left. You can't miss it."

"Thanks," he murmured and scuttled away quickly; his notebook tucked under his arm.

He got about half way down the hall before the realisation hit me.

"Wait! I didn't catch your name!" I called after him.

But he didn't turn around; he kept walking. I didn't know whether it was because he couldn't hear me or he just chose to ignore me. But I knew one thing was for sure; this year definitely was going to be a lot different.


	2. Chapter 2

Jack's POV

I plonked down heavily into my seat. English had always been such a drag. Unfortunately it was a compulsory subject, meaning I had to do it. I sucked at it. Sure; I knew how to read, I can write, I can spell and form sentences. But I'm dreadful at poetry and writing short stories. I knew poetry was on the syllabus for this year. I dropped my bag on the floor at my feet and rested my face on the desk; staring out the window to my left. I already hated school again and it was only five minutes into first period. I sighed and turned my head so my chin was resting on the desk. I stared at the blackboard as the teacher, Ms. Coleman, wrote the title of the first topic across the top of it.

_Short Stories_

Thankfully I wasn't the only one in the classroom to groan at this concept. Ms. Coleman simply clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes at our lack of commitment to the possibility of "broadening our minds through creative writing." In my opinion it was a load of bullshit.

"Who can tell me some story genres?"

They started getting yelled out across the classroom.

"One at a time," Ms Coleman said; flustered already. "We'll go around the room. We'll start front left and snake our way back. Stephanie?"

"Drama," Stephanie; a small blonde girl responded.

"Excellent," Ms. Coleman praised. "Let's continue shall we."

"Romance."

"Science fiction or sci fi."

"Comedy?"

When it came to my turn, I stayed silent. Ms. Coleman turned around form the blackboard and walked towards my desk.

"Mr Barakat?"

I slowly raised my eyes to hers with a glare.

"Murder mystery," I answered flatly.

"Well done," Ms. Coleman told me. "And here's me thinking you weren't paying attention."

I rolled my eyes.

"Can I go to the bathroom?" I asked. I was already tired of this shit. I would rather wander the halls for twenty minutes.

"Yes, yes. Take a pass," Ms Coleman waved me off.

I stood up and raised the hood of my hoodie over my head. I sauntered over to the teacher's desk and picked up the lime green pass that was meant for the bathroom. I stuffed it in my pocket along with m hands and trudged out of the classroom. Stepping over that border instantly gave me freedom. I inhaled the scent of the empty, dusty hallway and smiled to myself. I allowed my thoughts to wander back to the kid I had knocked down earlier. Of course I don't blame him for being there; it was entirely my fault for not watching where I was going. He dressed so much different than I did. The rolled up jeans, in comparison to my black skinny jeans. The gray sweater in comparison to my well warn Blink 182 band tee shirt. The black leather jacket in comparison to the old red hoodie I was wearing. The boat shoes over my converses. Even his hair looked done; the soft brown was so neatly sitting over his forehead. Meanwhile, I didn't even brush my skunk head hair this morning and I don't remember the last time I washed it. He was so different to me. Don't even get me started on that accent. It sounded British.

Trudging on through the abandoned halls, my feet were joined by another set of footsteps. I turned my head when my paranoia took over; thinking it was Chris Stanley coming for second round. Instead I spotted the boy from this morning. His head was down, hair in his face. I guessed he was trying to read the map that all new kids are given when they start here to help them find their way around. I remembered when Zack had started half way through Freshman year. Rian had told him he was better off walking around completely blind and guessing your classrooms rather than trying to distinguish the chicken scratch 'directions' on the map. I had agreed. I decided to cut this guy a break; help him out. I slowed down; allowing him to catch up to me.

"Hey man," I said to him.

His eyes snapped up at the statement.

"You scared me," he breathed.

"My bad," I smiled innocently.

"Mhm," he mumbled.

"Do you need a hand?" I offered. I held my hand out for the map.

"Oh. Really?" he replied; excitedly. He handed me the map. "That'd be helpful."

"Alright, tip one?" I started. I ripped the map in two.

I watched his face fall into shock.

"You won't need it trust me," I told him. "I got your back."

"Um, thanks?"

"No sweat," I shrugged. "Where's your schedule?"

I watched as he dug through his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. He handed it to me. I studied it; reading through the subjects and teachers.

"Alright, well, you've got music, Spanish, gym and English with me!" I told him. I looked up to find him watching me. "What?"

"Nothing," he looked down.

"Okay then," I frowned and went back to looking at the schedule. "You've got American History with my mate Rian. Dude! You take AP Chemistry?"

"Is there a problem?" he asked me.

"No," I shook my head. "Are you some sort of egg head?"

"Some sort," he smirked and snatched the schedule out of my hands. "Now. You said I have English with you yes?"

I nodded.

"We have that now," he read the schedule. "Why aren't you in class?"

"I hate English," I shrugged. "Short stories. I told the teacher I was going to the bathroom."

"Oh," he frowned and stuck the schedule back into his pocket. "We should be off then."

"I guess," I shrugged again.

I started walking in the direction of the English classroom with him hot of my heels.

"Hey, I never did catch your name?" I turned around; walking backwards.

"I'm Alexander, or Alex Gaskarth," he told me.

"Cool," I grinned. "I'm Jack. Jack Barakat."

I turned back around and he stepped up to walk beside me.

"It's nice to meet you Jack," Alex told me.

"Likewise," I smirked. "You don't have to be so formal with me dude. We're mates."

"Mates? Really?" he sounded hopeful.

"Well yeah," I shrugged. "Mates help each other out. I just helped you out. We're mates."

"Excellent," he smiled. I looked at him. "I mean, awesome. Awesome."

"That's better," I grinned at him. "Alright, here it is."

I stepped up and turned the door knob and walked in; Alex followed slowly.

"Yo, Coleman!" I announced loudly. "We've got some fresh meat. I found him wandering the halls."

I smacked Alex on the back and gripped his shoulder; steering him to the empty seat at my table. I pushed him down into the seat.

"Welcome dear," Ms. Coleman smiled at Alex.

"This is Alex Gaskarth everyone," I waved my hand around the class. No one cared.

Alex looked at the desk; a blush covering his cheeks and ears. I smirked.


	3. Chapter 3

Jack's POV

The day dragged on slowly. Alex didn't do much talking through recess or lunch which was awkward given it was just the two of us. He was silent during Spanish; busily writing down the notes on the blackboard that Senor had written up there. I had simply stared at him in disbelief as his hand flew across the page. He had caught me looking at him.

"What?" he had said. "I like Spanish."

"Mhm," I had mumbled in reply.

This kid was smart. I could tell by how he sat silently at our lunch table during lunch break, sipping an apple juice and answering questions in his chemistry book. AP chemistry? Yeah; I didn't believe it either until I saw him writing out and answering problems so easily. I had watched him with a fleeting interest. The way his hand flew across the page as he wrote out a problem and answered it; the way he chewed the end of his pencil as he thought. Even the way he shrugged out of his leather jacket and rolled up the sleeves on his sweater intrigued me. There was just something different about this guy. He tucked his pencil behind his right ear and turned to the back of the text book to the answers to the questions. He pulled his pencil back down and scanned through his work; smiling slightly to himself when he, obviously, got them correct. He stuck his pencil back behind his ear and turned back to the next exercise in the book. He looked up and caught me watching him. He cocked his eyebrow and I watched his eyes shift from me, to his book and back again. 

"What are you staring at?" he asked me; pulling a face.

"Does all that really make sense to you?" I asked him; pulling his text book across the table to have a look at.

To me, all the chemistry problems were complete gibberish.

"Yes actually, they do," he replied, abruptly. "Is there a problem?"

"No," I shook my head quickly. "There's no problem. You're just way smarter than me, that's all."

He smirked and crossed his arms on the table; leaning closer to me.

"Are you threatened by my intelligence, Mr Barakat?" he said in a sly voice.

I was taken aback. I leaned away from him; leaning as far back in my chair as I could.

"Not at all," I shrugged. "Just stating an observation; is all."

He leaned back; smiling. He turned the page in his text book and plucked his pencil from behind his ear. He started writing out a new equation at the top of a blank page in his exercise book. I continued to watch him; trying not to laugh when he screwed up his face and erased the answer he came up with one of the problems and frowning when he actually managed to get it right.

When the bell went at the end of lunch, I snapped his text book shut for him. He looked up at me with a frown on his face.

"We have gym," I grinned at him.

"I hate gym," he sighed and pouted.

"You'll love it with me," I told him; standing up and stuffing his chemistry stuff in his messenger bag for him. He sat watching me. "I heard we're combining with the other junior class. That means it's us plus Ri and Zack."

"Um, am I supposed to know who they are?" he asked.

"Oh!" I slapped my forehead with his text book before chucking it in his bag. "They're my best mates. I can't believe I haven't introduced them. You would've had History with Rian today."

"I don't remember the name," he looked down at the table. "No one is as nice as you are so far. Nobody's spoken to me."

"That's just rude," I pointed out. "They'll be nice and you'll have a friend in History tomorrow."

"That'd be nice," he frowned.

"I got your back remember?" I smiled at him.

He nodded.

"Do Rian and Zack really make a substantial difference to gym?" he asked me; standing up too.

"Oh yes," I nodded; holding out his bag for him. "Come on."

I picked up Alex's leather jacket and draped it over my arm; pulling him by the sweater sleeve out of the cafeteria and to the hall leading to the gym. He followed me reluctantly; complaining the entire way.

"Jack," he sighed. "I'm not sure about this. I'm not exactly sporty."

"Do I look sporty to you?" I asked him.

"Not really," he shook his head.

"Exactly," I said to him. "Listen. Gyms a bludge period. You show up; you pass. You may as well have fun while you do it."

"What exactly is fun about it?" he complained.

"Hanging with your mates and being morons," I grinned at him.

He pulled a face; disgusted. I stopped grinning; thinking he was frowning at my teeth. They weren't exactly the most attractive ever. Meanwhile, Alex's teeth are practically perfect. I frowned and turned my face back in the direction of the gym; trying not to make my annoyance obvious. I let go of his sleeve as we entered the changing room. I dumped my bag on one of the benches and pulled out my shorts and polo that we have to wear for gym. Alex dropped his bag beside mine on the bench. I pulled my hoodie off by the sleeves and dumped it on top of my bag before pulling my t-shirt over my head. I kicked off my shoes and replaced my t-shirt with the polo shirt and started unbuttoning my jeans. I felt Alex's eyes on me.

"Stop checking me out and get changed," I told him.

"Have I done something?" he asked. "You seem annoyed."

I dropped my jeans to the floor and hopped as I pulled each foot free. I pulled on the shorts and sat down in between our bags; pulling on my sneakers. I looked up to him and watched the other guys file in and start to get changed themselves. I looked back to Alex and sighed. He pulled his beanie off and tousled the back of his hair; yanking his sweater over his head and putting on his polo that was crisp white in comparison to my dull nearly grey one.

"It was just the face you pulled when I grinned at you," I told him; pulling one foot up on the bench in front of me and tying the laces. "I really have some insecurities when it comes to my teeth."

"That face wasn't because of your teeth Jack," he told me and let his jeans fall to the floor.

I averted my eyes back to my sneakers. I didn't want him thinking I'm some pervert or whatever.

"I just really don't like gym," he sighed and pulled on his shorts before plonking down beside me and pulling his own pair of sneakers on. "Your teeth are a lot better then the people in England. Trust me. Yours just have character."

"Character?" I looked at him.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"If all teeth in England are so awful, why are yours so perfect?" I asked him; expecting an answer along the lines of, 'I'm just lucky I guess' or something.

"This is the work of two years of orthodontics my friend," he answered; grinning to show me his teeth.

"Oh," I frowned. "I just figured you were one of the lucky ones that are just born with perfect teeth."

"Nope," he shook his head. "Mine were horrible. I got bullied for it; which is why my parents paid for them."

"That's wrong," I said.

"Yeah," he shrugged. "I got used to it. Looking the way I do and dressing like this; well I became a target pretty early."

"Still," I half smiled. "It's not right."

"Alright guys," the gym teacher; Mr Reynolds came in rubbing his palms together. "Let's get physical."

I pulled a face and stood up. Alex followed suit. He grabbed my arm and waited until the room was clear.

"Oh and Jack?" he said to me in a low voice.

"What?" I asked.

"Just for the record, I like your teeth," he smiled at me and walked out of the room.

I followed him out; smiling to myself. I pulled my shirt up; bunching it up and tucking it through the top of it into a crop top. It was my signature gym attire. I walked across the gym floor behind Alex stopping beside him in the centre of the court. I spied Zack and Rian standing with there class. I grabbed Alex's wrist and pulled him across to them.

I grinned like a moron and high-five Rian and Zack; they were wearing their shirts the same as mine. Zack pulled a pose worthy of playboy and Rian and I laughed at him. Alex stood silently beside me.

"Guys, this is Alex," I introduced him. "Alex, this is Rian and Zack."

"Nice to meet you," Alex nodded.

"Ditto," Rian grinned.

"So, are you conforming Alex?" Zack asked Alex.

I watched Alex pull a face. I know he doesn't really want to make an ass of himself on the first day of semester and his first day at a new school.

"Merrick, Dawson you're captains," Coach Reynolds called to Zack and Rian.

"What are we playing?" Alex whispered to me.

"Volleyball," I responded and saw Alex frowned.

I draped my arm across Alex's shoulders.

"Listen Lex. You don't need to do anything you don't want to, alright?" I offered. "Me and my mates, we just don't have any shame."

"Lex?"

"Yeah. Lex. Can I call you that?" I asked him.

"Yeah," he nodded.

I watched as Alex looked at my extremely flat stomach which I have to admit is fully exposed by my shirt being pulled up and made into a crop top. Alex sighed and shrugged off my arm. I took a step away and Alex mimicked my shirt. He looked up at me, shyly.

"'Atta boy," I grinned; slapped him on the back as I got called to be on Zacks team.

Rian called the name of some random from his class. I grinned again when Zack picked Alex. The guys called out names until there was no one left and we started to play. Serves were thrown back and forward; the ball being lobbed pretty strongly by Zack and hitting Rian on the back of the head. Zack doubled over in laughter. It was Rian's turn to serve; Zack pretended to be really scared; hiding behind some big jock looking guy. Rian threw the ball up and smacked it hard with his fist and the ball came flying over the net.

"Mine!" Alex and I called in unison.

I ran for it my arm getting ready to swing for it. I collided hard with Alex; both of us toppling over and him hitting the court hard. I had him pinned underneath me. I slowly rose up off of him with my hands on either side of his head. I stared in his eyes; his filled with bewilderment and shock of what had just happened. I felt his chest rising beneath me. He swallowed and I saw his adam's apple bob slightly in my peripheral. His hair had fallen back off his face. I noticed his eyes were a chocolate brown. I didn't know if it was the fall or his appearance that was leaving me breathless.

"Jack?" Alex's voice broke me from my thoughts.

I felt eyes on me from every direction. I inhaled and jumped up off him; holding out my hand. He grabbed mine and I pulled him up to his feet. After a few moments, the classes stopped staring at us. We left the court; standing at the end of the serving line again. I stood there quietly; my hands stuffed in my pockets. I studied the lines on the court.

Alex nudged me in the side with his elbow and I turned to see him smiling at me. I felt relieved; relieved that I didn't hurt him when I knocked him down and that the staring hadn't freaked him out.

"What?" I whispered.

"You better not be making a habit of knocking me down Barakat." Alex threatened with a smirk on his face.


	4. Chapter 4

Alex's POV

I followed Jack into the change room after gym. He sat down on the bench with our bags and pulled off his sneakers. I sat down beside him, copying his actions. He was still quiet after that fall we took on the court. Im not going to lie to you, it was awkward as heck when he landed on top of me. Having a guy that close to me is bad enough, but a guy that I hardly even know, lying on top of me in front of like 40 guys? Now that's awkward. I'm surprised I didn't blush like a lunatic at the contact.

The way Jack stared at me; it was like he was studying my face. Searching my eyes for some sort of hidden secret. Critiquing my features and finding all those imperfections. I didn't really know what to say. I managed his name; but the smart ass remark might have offended him. I didn't want to offend him. He was the only friend I have at the damn school so far. He's the only one that has been nice enough to actually talk to me, take me under his wing. He's walked me to my classes so I wouldn't get lost, sat with me at lunch when he clearly didn't have to etc. I didn't want to lose him when I hardly even have him to begin with. I watched as he pulled his polo over his head and replaced it with his t-shirt.

"I'm sorry," I muttered as I pulled my own shirt over my head and pulled on my sweater.

"What for?" he snapped his ehad round to look at me.

"I don't know," I bit my lip. "Whatever I've done to make you annoyed at me again. Was it what I said?

"I'm not annoyed with you, Lex," he stood and pulled off his shorts and manoeuvred himself into his skinny jeans. "Really. I'm not."

He buttoned his jeans and I stood up with him; pulling off my own shorts and pulling on my jeans. He sat down as I was buttoning mine. I felt his eyes on me again. The change room cleared out quickly when the final bell rang; leaving both Jack and I alone. I sat down beside him again and pulled on my shoes.

"I, um, didn't hurt you did i?" Jack asked; pulling his backpack onto his lap.

"No!" I shook my head quickly. "Definitely not. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

He stood up and pulled his hoodie on; zipping it up in the front. He slipped his backpack on over his shoulders and stuffed his feet into his unlaced converses.

"Positive," I nodded to him and smiled.

"I'm glad," he smiled as well.

I stood up and followed Jack as he led the way to the door leading outside. Thunder cracked and rain was pouring down heavily.

"Fuck," Jack scowled and kicked the concrete. "And I bet I've missed the bus too."

"It's just rain Jack," I shrugged and pulled my umbrella from my bag. "It should cover both of us."

"Where do you live anyway?" Jac asked me.,

"Beaton Street," I answered.

"Oh, hey!" Jack smiled. "That's not far from my house. Are we walking?"

"If you want to," I shrugged put up my umbrella; holding it above our heads. I was thankful Jack wasn't that much taller then me.

"I'm up for it," Jack shrugged in reply. "It's only a few miles."

"Let's go then," I said and stepped away from the building; the rain immediately hitting the umbrella hard and the wind making me shiver.

We walked in silence for a short while; my thoughts drifting to small talk topics that wouldn't make me feel stupid. Jack and I were wlking really close to each other in any attempt to not get that wet by the rain. I was already feeling the rain soaking trhough shoes. I stole a glance at Jack. He was watching the sidewalk as he walked; his hands stuffed in the pockets of his hoodie. His elbow grazed mine casually and I felt a sudden welcomed warmth radiate from the contact through my body.

I turned my head slightly and caught Jack looking at me. He looked back to the sidewalk when I met his eyes; a slight smile playing on his face. I chewed my lip out of habit. So he felt it too? He felt that warmth that I felt?

"So, Alex?" Jack started; talking loudly over the sound of the rain. "We should talk or something, because this silence is bugging me."

"What do you want to talk about Jack?" I asked him

"I don't know," he shrugged. "What's your middle name?"

"Um," I half laughed at the randomness of the question. "It's William. What's yours?"

"Alexander William Gaskarth," Jack said in a posh accent. "It scream 'im English.' Mine's Bassam."

"Interesting," I smiled. "Jack Bassam Barakat. JB. Like Jim Beam, the bourbon company."

"Yeah, I guess," he laughed. "Never thought of that actually."

"Favourite colour?" I asked.

"Red," Jack replied. "Yours?

"Blue," I smiled. "Um."

We continued walking; harmless banter making us laiugh and smile the whole way home. I discovered that Jack's favourite band was Blink 182. I didn't listen to them; I hadn't even given them I chance. But I couldn't exactly say no when Jack stuffed one of his ear phones in my ear and made me listen to their early demos or what he called their "best shit." I liked them and he made me swear I would download them when I got home. Jack told me he loved hamburgers and I told him I really liked pasta. He asked if I'd cook for him one day. The look on his face; one of complete sincerity made me agree. We were approaching my house, it was only a few houses away.

"What's your family like?" Jack asked me. "Brothers, sisters?"

"Um," I looked down. "It's me and my parents at the moment."

"Cool," Jack smiled; obliviously. "It's my, my mum and dad and my sisters. I have three. It's hell."

"I bet," I mumbled. "Alright. Well this is me."

We stopped outside my two story white house.

"Wow," Jack exclaimed looking up at it behind me.

"Yeah," I looked down at my feet. "So, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah," Jack smiled. "I'll catch ya tomorrow. Dio you catch the bus?"

"Um, yeah," I answered avoiding his eyes. "I'll see you then."

I walked away quickly with my umbrella. I stopped on the doorstep and looked back at Jack; standing alone on the sidewalk in the rain. He was already completely drenched. I bit my tongue and kept my want to invite him in at bay; waving to him instead. He pulled his hood up over his head and waved back at me. I watched him walk away and opened my front door. I stepped over the horizon and closed the door behind me; leaning against it and dropping my bag on the floor. I closed my umbrella and let it fall into the rack by the door. Why was my heart beating so fast?

"Alex. Is that you sweetheart?" my mum's voice called from the kitchen.

"Yes, mum," I sighed. "It's me."

"How was your first day?" she asked me.

"Fine," I smield to myself. "Just fine."

Jacks POV

I trudged along the sidewalk; past the last few houses separating Alex's house and my own. The rain was pelting me hard and I was freezing but my thoughts weren't on that. I couldn't stop thinking about Alex. I couldn't get over his house. It had a porch that wrapped around the bottom level and two smaller balconies leading into two rooms upstairs. The house was all white, except the shutters and window frames were a light blue. The house was nice; really nice. The lawns were so perfectly mowed and there wasa massive tree standing beside the house. There was a black car in the perfectly tiled drive way. Everything was perfect about that house.

I walked up the footpath to my front door and let myself in. I peeled my soaking wet hood off my head and dumped my bag on the floor by the door.

"Afternoon Jack," my mum greeted me as I walked in. "Oh! You're drenched!"

"Yeah," I replied rubbing the back off my neck. "Gym ran late and I missed the bus."

"You walked all the way home, alone, in the rain?" my mum asked; her voice laced with concern.

"Well, I walked home, in the rain but I wasn't alone," I told her.

"Who'd you walk with?" she asked. "I thought Zack and Rian lived in the opposite direction."

"They do," I nodded. "There's this new kid. He lives a few houses up from us. You know that big white, two storey place? Yeah. Him and his family live there."

"Oh," mum smiled. "So, you made a new friend? That's lovely."

"Yeah," I agreed. "Very lovely. Now, can I shower? I'm freezing."

"Oh yes," Mum moved out of my way. "Of course. Dinner will be about an hour."

"Alright, alright," I nodded and waved my hand.

I walked down the hall way to the last room on the left; my room. I opened the door and immediately made my way over to the open window; stepping over the piles of clothes on the floor as I went. I slammed the window closed and stared out it at the dark grey, almost black sky. I shook my head and moved to my chest of draws; pulling out a pair of plaid pyjama pants, boxers and a dry t-shirt. I made my way to the bathroom and peeled off my soaking wet clothing; choosing to not dump them in the hamper with everything else. I turned on the shower; testing it with my hands before jumping in under the stream. I stood with my forearm resting on the wall beside the faucet; my forehead resting on my arm; letting the hot water run down my bare back.

I didn't know what we were having for dinner, I didn't know if I had any homework, I didn't know what tomorrow was going to bring but I knew one thing for absolute sure; I couldn't get Alex out of my head.


	5. Chapter 5

Jack's POV

The monotone buzz of my alarm clock dragged me out of slumber. I reached over to my bed side table and felt around blindly. I found the source of the noise and slammed my alarm clock with my palm. I turned my head; resting my cheek into my pillow. I slowly opened one eye, followed by the other when I realised my room wasn't filled with sunlight; instead an eerie gray glow. I frowned; another rainy miserable day. I sighed and rolled onto my back. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. The sound of the rain pelted the roof of my house. I scratched my head and turned to look at the alarm clock again. 7.38.

"Shit!" I yelled and pretty much jumped out of bed.

I chucked the quilt over the bed in an attempt to make it look 'made.' I ran over to my wardrobe and threw the doors open; scanning over my t-shirts with my hand. I yanked the t-shirt I was wearing over my head and dumped it on the pile on the floor. I pulled out a Jimmy Eat World t-shirt and chucked it over my head. I tugged on a pair of my skinny jeans and yanked them free of their hanger. I kicked off my pajama pants and pulled my jeans on; trying to pull them on both legs at the same time. I jumped to make the process faster; eventually they made it to my hips and I buttoned them. i sat on the end of my bed and pulled on my still damp converses.

Running to the bathroom to take my morning piss, I caught a glimpse of my hair in the bathroom cabinet mirror.

"Oh my god," I shook my head; and rubbed the back of it in attempt to flatten my hair a little.

I shrugged and made my way back to my room; grabbing a beanie off the top of my chest of drawers and pulling it on my head and down to over almost all of my ears. I went to my wardrobe again; pulling out a simple white hoodie and pulled it on. On a spur of the moment decision, I grabbed my leather jacket too; pulling it on over the top of my hoodie but leaving it undone. I grabbed my backpack; silently hoping all the necessary books for today were in there. I had a habit of losing my schedule the first day. This year was no exception. I chucked it over my shoulder and made on more pit stop in the bathroom; surveying my appearance.

I bent over to check my head; dragging my fringe over so it sat neatly over my eye; it was pretty much the only bit of my 'skunk' hair you could see anyway. The hoodie and jacket complimented each other well. Why'd I never think of layering up before. I was a blur of black and white. I shrugged at myself and left the bathroom; dodging Leeyh on the way. I walked to the kitchen where mum was sititng at the tbale sipping a coffee. As I entrered she held up a $10 bill. With a kiss on my mums cheek and grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl for breakfast, I ran out the door. I stood on the door step for a short while. I put the apple in my bag for later; and pulled my hood up over ym head.

I stepped out into the rain and walked quickly to the bus stop. I stood out from under the crowded bus shelter. I felt the rain soaking through everything but I didint care. I was pretty excited to see Alex again. I wonder if he saved me a seat. He would've got on just before me. I spotted the familiar yellow bus approaching us. I peered through the rain into the windows as it got closer; unable to see anything through the grime. The bus pulled to a stop; its brakes squeaking loudly. A few girls made a running dash to the bus so they didn't get wet. I followed the crowd and was one of the last to board the bus. I wlaked up the stairs and looked around for Alex. I frowned when I didn't spot his beanie or his hair amongst the crowd. I walked along the bus and swung myself into a empty seat half way down the bus. A guy from the bus stop sat beside me. I pulled my ipod from my bag and stuck the ear buds in my ears. I switched it on and scrolled through the playlists; settling on Blink. I sat back in the chair and rested my forehead against the glass. My hopes plummeted to the floor.

I plopped down into my front row seat in history. The teacher, Mr Martin, seated us alphabetically. I didint have anyone I spoke to in theis class, so being seated in the front row meant I was always called on. I crossed my arms on the table and rested my head on my arms; slipping my eyes closed. I heard Mr Martin come bustling into the classroom just after the tardy bell and I sat up. I made a decision; ill give it 10 minutes before I asked to go the bathroom. I sat and stared at the clock above the blackboard as Martin rambled on about World War too.

He asked a question I didn't know the answer to but I raised my hand anyway.

"Yes Mr Barakat?" he responded in his Indian accent. "What is the answer?"

"I was just asking to go to the bathroom," I shrugged.

Mr Martin frowned and moved behind his desk. He opened the draw and pulled out the pass and slapped it on to his desk. He turned back to the board and continued writing notes. I stood up quickly and made my way from the classroom; silently grabbing my bag as I went. I knew no one would dob me in. I slipped out and started to wonder the halls.

My thoughts went back to Alex. Maybe he was sick from being in the rain yesterday. No, he couldn't be. He didint even get wet. Maybe he had some sort of family emergency and couldn't come. Or maybe I had scared him off and he just didn't want to hang around me.

I turned a corner and peered around to check for teachers. Finding it clear I walked down the corridor with my hands in my pockets. I watched the floor as I walked; I should've just stayed in history. I looked up at the sound of a piano coming from the concert hall in front of me. I approached it on tiptoe; making sure my shoes didn't squeak on the linoleum.

I peeked through the small window in the door and spotted someone sitting at the piano. I opened the door a smidge and slid through. I walked quietly and sat down in the back row; ducking down as far as my long legs allowed. I recognised the figure immediately. It was Alex. The slow melody of the music continued. Alex opened his mouth and he started to sing.

[i] Make it a sweet, sweet goodbye - it could be for the last time and it's not right.[/i]

I didint know Alex could sing. His voice was amazing; velvety smooth and serene.

[i]"Don't let yourself get in over your head," he said.  
Alone and far from home we'll find you...[/i]

I sat up properly and leaned forward in the seat; placing my backpack on the floor silently. The pace of the song sped up.

[i]Dead - Like a candle you burned out;  
spill the wax over the spaces left in place of angry words.  
Scream - To be heard, like you needed any more attention;  
throw the bottle, break the door, and disappear.[/i]

I heard pain in Alex's voice. He was struggling to get the words out; I watched him closely. He sat up straighter on the stool.

[i]Sing me to sleep,

I'll see you in my dreams,

waiting to say,

"I miss you. I'm so sorry." [/i]

I brought my hand to my mouth as the emotions overwhelmed me. Alex had been hurt; badly. Emotionally and spiritually he was broken. I bit down on my lip behind my hand and kept my eyes on Alex. His hand moved delicately on the keys.

[i]Forever's never seemed so long as when you're not around it's like a piece of me is missing.  
I could have learned so much from you but what's left now?  
Don't you realize you brought this family a world of pain?  
Can't you see there could have been a happy ending we let go?[/i]

The emotions came through again and I heard him sniff.

[i]Sing me to sleep,

I'll see you in my dreams,

waiting to say,

"I miss you. I'm so sorry."[/i]

I stood up; lifting my bag onto the chair. I approached the stage ever so slowly. Alex didn't notice. His vision transfixed on the paper in front of him.

[i]Sing me to sleep,

Sing me to sleep,

Sing me to sleep,

Sing me to sleep. [/i]

I stopped a short distance from the stage and crossed my arms. I was mesmerised my him.

[i]Sing me to sleep (You've taken so much with you...)  
I'll see you in my dreams, (But left the worst with me...),  
waiting to say, "I miss you. I'm so sorry."[/i]

I watched as he wiped his cheeks with the back of his hand. I crossed my arms and walked right up to the stage.

"Wow," I said softly.

Alex whipped his head around to me quickly.

"You scared me," he put his hand on his heart.

"Sorry," I said. I pulled myself up onto the stage. "Did you write that song?"

"You heard it?" he asked; his eyes wide.

"yeah," I nodded. "It's amazing."

I approached the piano and picked up the paper.

"Lullabies?" I read allowed.

"Yeah," Alex looked away; resting his hands back onto he keys of the piano. He started playing it again.

"What's it about?" I asked cautiously.

"Um," Alex stopped playing; lifting his hand off the keys and laying them in his lap.

"You don't have to tell me," I offered. "It's just a pretty powerful song. I figured there must be something pretty deep behind it."

"There is," Alex told me.

He stood up and walked to the edge of the stage. He jumped down. I followed him to the edge but instead of jumping off I just sat down.

"well?" I pushed gently.

"It's about my brother, Daniel," Alex whispered.

"If you're going to whisper, you're going to have to come closer," I half smiled.

Alex approached the stage and leaned on it beside me.

"Alright. Lullabies is about my feelings towards my brother Daniel and what he did," Alex confessed.

"What'd do?" I asked.

"He committed suicide," Alex whispered and looked up at me. His eyes were swimming with tears.

"Fuck," I whispered and looked him in the eye; trying to radiate comfort.

"That's why we moved here," Alex continued. "Too many people knew over there. I couldn't even go to school without being asked. It was too hard."

I studied Alex's broken expression. His eyes were sad; his face fallen.

"Im sorry," I told him; not knowing what else to say.

"It's alright," he nodded. "It's been 5 months to the day."

"oh."

"can I confess something?" he asked me.

"Of course," I replied.

He looked up at me; his eyes meeting mine.

"This is the first time I've actually cried over it," he said; a few tears spilled over the edge.

I pushed myself off the stage and onto the ground. I couldn't take it anymore.

"Come here," I said and grabbed him by the shoulders; pulling him into a hug.

He fell into me; he arms wrapped lazily around my middle. His face nuzzled into my shoulder and he started to sob.

"Hey hey hey," I soothed; rubbing his back. "I'm here Lex. Your Jacky's here."

I bit my tongue. His Jacky? Where the hell did that come from.?

"I'm not going anywhere," I whispered into Alex's ear. "I promise."

I felt him squeeze me tighter around the waist. I kissed the top of his head softly. What had gotten into me? Why am I hugging him like this; kissing him on the head? I loosened my grip on his shoulder and took a half step back. Using my thumb, I wiped his cheeks free of tears. He smiled a watery half smile at me.

"You're the first person to ever promise that Jack," he told me.

"What?" I looked at him; lost.

"That you weren't going anywhere," he said; and wiped the spot on my leather jacket where he had cried. "Most people just avoid me when they find out."

"I'm not most people, Alex," I smiled at him.

"I know Jack," Alex smiled in reply. "I knew that from the very first time you knocked me down."


	6. Chapter 6

Jack's POV

"So, we're blowing off English," I told Alex; walking down the center of the room and grabbing my bag from the chair I left it in. I walked back to Alex and chucked my bag up onto the stage.

"Alright," he agreed.

"The egg head Alex Gaskarth doesn't mind not going to class?" I asked in mock shock. I slapped myself lightly on the cheek for emphasis. "We could get in trouble you know."

"I know," Alex shrugged. "I don't care."

"Wow, breaking the rules on your second day," I smirked. "I'm impressed."

"Well, I'm not just an egg head Jack," he told me. "What are we going to do instead?"

I thought for a moment. We could leave the school grounds, but if its still raining, the getaway would be difficult. Library? No. The librarian cant keep anything to herself. We'd be on detention for ditching almost immediately. Then the thought hit me; I turned my gaze upwards.

"I have an idea," I smirked.

"I don't think I like this idea and I don't even now what it his yet," Alex pulled a face at me.

I pulled myself back up onto the stage and turned around; holding my hands out to Alex. He took my outstretched hands in his and I pulled him up onto the stage with me. He smiled shyly and I grinned.

"Grab your bag," I said; slinging mine over my shoulder.

"Where are we going?" Alex asked me as he walked over and picked up his bag; stuffing the lyrics to Lullabies inside.

"You'll see," I replied; mischievously and took Alex by the wrist; pulling him backstage and behind the curtains.

I pulled my other bag strap over my other shoulder and moved to stand beside a ladder leading up into the eaves of the roof; where the lighting and sound engineers stood and did their work during assemblies and performances.

"Up there?" Alex asked.

"Yeah," I smiled. "They won't find us. We'll come down at recess."

"Are you sure about this?" he queried.

I looked him in the eye and watched him bite his lip. I adjusted my beanie on my head and stepped closer to him. He rubbed his eye with the heel of his palm.

"I'm never sure about anything," I answered with a smile. "I'll lead the way. Just do what I do."

"Okay," he nodded.

I stepped back to the ladder and lifted my foot to the first rung. I climbed slowly; alternating my hands and feet on the rungs until I reached the top. I took of my bag and slid it carefully along the floorboards that ran along the landing. I grabbed hold of the railing and pulled myself up the final step; turning on my knees to lean over.

"Come on up," I called down to Alex.

He looked up at me; unsure. I chewed my lip and turned back around climbing down a few rungs. I turned as far as I could and looked at Alex.

"Do you trust me, Lex?" I asked him.

"Of course," he replied immediately.

"Then follow me," I instructed.

I climbed up to the top again and repeated my action from earlier; leaning over the side and watching Alex make his way up the ladder. He smiled when he reached the top; those perfect teeth shining and the smile lighting up his whole face. I shifted onto my butt and slid over next to my bag. I turned my head and watched Alex clamber up and slide over next to me.

"See that wasn't that hard was it?" I asked him; the smile permanently plastered on my face.

"Not at all," he shook his head and smiled at me.

"So, when you said you weren't _just_ an egg head," I started. "What'd you mean?"

"Well, I'm not," he half laughed. "I play piano, obviously and I play a little guitar; basic chords and stuff. I like painting; a few of my artworks are hung up in the hallway at my house and I write; poems and songs."

"Wow," I breathed; impressed. "I play guitar too. My mum says I'm pretty good. But I guess she's just being biased."

"I bet you're good," he smiled at me. "I mean, look at the length of your fingers. I bet I could teach you how to play piano too."

"No thanks," I held one of my hands up. "I'll stick with... hey. My fingers are long."

"You also have a short attention span," Alex laughed at me.

"Shut up," I huffed and grabbed one of his hands and compared his fingers to mine. "You're right. Mine are so long. I've never noticed it before."

"Or, you've just never had someone as observant as me as a friend," Alex smiled.

"True," I agreed. "What else don't I know about you?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "What do you want to know?"

"Love life?" I asked. "Any past flings I should know about?"

"Well, I don't know about flings, but I've had one proper girlfriend before," he told me; fidgeting and playing with the sleeve of the green and gray striped sweater he was wearing.

I took time to notice what he was wearing. Light blue jeans that cuffed at the ends; similar to the ones he was wearing yesterday. The sweater was teamed with his leather jacket from yesterday; his shoes the same. He wasn't wearing a beanie today; his hair was, instead, messily parted on the right side of his head and his fringe fell lazily over his face.

"What happened with her?" I asked; once my admiration was met with a confused stare.

"We had been going out for a year and a half before things went wrong with Daniel," his face grew sad and I scooted a little closer to him. "When Daniel died, she dumped me."

"What a bitch?" I said loudly; before slapping my hand over my mouth. I blinked. "Why'd she do that? You needed someone then."

"I know," he shrugged. "She saw me as emotionally unstable. A ticking time bomb, she had put it."

"Dude, that's messed up," I shook my head. "I mean, if we were dating when that happened I would've stuck by you."

My eyes grew wide at my realization of what I just said. 'if we were dating.?' Jack! Get your shit together man. I slowly turned my gaze to Alex. He seemed unfazed by what I had said. He smiled a little and leaned over; resting his head on my shoulder. I smiled at the action.

"You know, I know that about you Jack," he said softly. "it's hard to believe we only met yesterday. So far, you're like, the best friend I've ever had."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah," he nodded slightly. "So what about you and your love life?"

"The wells been dry since ninth grade, I'm afraid," I admitted. "my girlfriend at the time went around and told a lot of people that I had cheated on her. But i hadn't. Since then, i guess I just haven't found anyone I've clicked with. You know."

"Yeah, I understand," Alex nodded again. "There's someone out there for you Jack. You just have to find them."

"Yeah. I guess," I sighed. "you could say I have this wall up. It stops people from getting close to me. Which is probably why I don't have a girlfriend or many friends."

"Except Rian and Zack," Alex said.

"And, now you," I smiled slightly.

"So, you just have to find someone who can come at that wall with a sledge hammer and bring it crashing down," he told me.

I thought I felt him nuzzle his head into my shoulder more.

"If only it was that simple," I sighed and studied my hands.

"It can be. I like to believe there's someone out there for everyone. They may come in the form of a previous ex-girlfriend, your friends little sister or even your best friend themselves. You never know. But, you've got to stop looking and wait until they find you," Alex assured me; his logic actually making sense.

i stayed quiet. I didn't know what to say make to that, but he was right.

"Anyway, back to the subject of friends," Alex continued when i didn't say anything. "You may find this hard to believe, but, I had friends up until the day the thing with Daniel got out. Then everyone sort of abandoned me."

"That's fucked," I frowned.

"It is fucked," he agreed. "But, you're different aren't you?"

Alex sat up and turned my face to look at him with his hand. His eyes were soft but serious. I swallowed. His face was far too close to mine for my liking.

"You won't abandon me," he told me in a strong voice.

"How can you be so sure?" I whispered.

"I can see it in your eyes," he smiled and dropped his hand to his lap. He turned back and rested his head on my shoulder again.

We sat quietly; only our breathing and the distant shouting from the gym could be heard.

"Oh, and you're right you know?" I said after minutes of silence.

"Right about what?" Alex asked.

I settled my head on top of Alex's.

"I'm not going to abandon you," I told him.


	7. Chapter 7

Alex's POV

Jack and I had been sitting up in the ceiling of the hall for about 45 minutes in silence. It wasn't an awkward silence; quite the opposite really. It was a comfortable silence. We were leaning against the wooden support boards and our legs were hanging off the side; feet dangling 20 feet in the air. I was sitting close to Jack; my head resting on his shoulder. I thought it was crossing some sort of line to begin with, but when Jack rested his head on top of mine, I knew I was safe.

I couldn't believe how amazing he was being. I had only met him yesterday and I had already told him a secret like that. I wasn't planning on telling anybody about Daniel. But, Jack was sweet. He probably didn't realize how serious I was when I told him he was the best friend I had ever had. Because it was true. All of my friends in England had dumped me when they found out; they didn't want to do anything to push me over the edge, they had said. They didn't want me to "off myself" like my brother had, so they had steered completely clear. It was random people and jocks that had asked questions and made fun. But Jack; Jack was different. None of my guy friends back home would skip class with me and sit in the eaves of the hall roof and just talk. They wouldn't hug me and comfort me the way Jack had. And they probably would've freaked out if I had snuggled into them like I had with Jack.

I flickered my eyes to Jack's hands for maybe the 1000th time in the last 45 minutes. I had been fighting the urge to reach out and hold his hand the whole time. I wanted to thank him for being so amazing. I wanted to feel what his hand would feel like in mine. It was an obscure feeling; one I hadn't felt before. But it was a longing.

"Jack?" I whispered into the silence of the hall.

"Mhm," Jack replied with a hum.

"I just wanted to say thank you," I smiled.

"There's no need to thank me, Lex," he smiled in return.

I sat up and turned my face to look at him; he did the same; brushing his fringe out of his face and resting the side of his head against the boards.

"No, there really is," I told him.

"Alright," Jack gave in.

I inhaled.

"I just want to say thank you for being so awesome, Jack," I said with a sincere smile.

"Oh well, it just comes naturally," Jack replied; dusting fake dirt off his shoulders.

"I mean it," I continued. "No one's just sat with me like this and talked to me. I mean ever. Like, yeah, I'd talk to my lab partner about an assignment or my mum about girl problems but I've never had someone to just sit with and talk about everything. I've never explained the friend situation back in England to anyone. My mum doesn't know that all of my friends had left me when they found out. They just stopped coming over; she probably just didn't notice. If I had cried in front of them like I had with you, they would've laughed. They wouldn't have been supportive. I only cried today because i thought no one would find me. But I'm glad it was you that did. I've never had a guy friend that I could sit and talk with. Did me laying my head on your shoulder bug you at all?"

Jack shook his head.

"See, the guys I hung with back in England would freak out, more than likely," I brushed my fringe back off my face. "I guess you could say that I was more emotional then them and smarter."

"I bet you're smarter than everyone here too," Jack smirked.

I shook my head and laughed lightly.

"I mean what I said Jack," I fought the urge to touch his face or hold his hand. "You are my best friend."

"After only two days, I have a best friend," Jack smiled. "Who would of thought?"

What'd he mean I was his best friend?

"What about Rian and Zack?" I asked him.

"Oh, they're each others best friend," he confessed. "In a way, I was sort of a third wheel."

I cocked my eyebrow and he shook his head.

"I'm not saying they're like, hooking up or something," he explained. "Its just, they were friends first; since elementary. I met them in middle school. So, I was always an extra. Don't get me wrong, they're the best mates any guy could have. But, and this is going to sound pretty, fucking corny, but I'm glad you came over here."

Jack sat back against the boards and closed his eyes and I followed suit; choosing to keep my eyes open.

"Yeah, I guess some sort of positive thing came out of Daniel passing away," I said softly.

I glanced at Jack's hand again; it was sitting against his thigh; his fingers drumming along to an imaginary beat. I twitched my fingers and slowly moved my hand along my leg and inched my way to Jack's hand. I lifted my hand off my leg and let it hover in the air; moving slowly to Jacks hand. My hand was just above his when the bell rang; my eyes snapping up and away from Jack and my hand flying back to my lap. I felt a blush creep onto my face. Jack turned his face to me and grinned.

"Recess," he told me.

I nodded in response. I watched as he grabbed his bag and slid to the other side of the landing.

"Come on," he called to me.

I grabbed my bag and slid after him; stopping at the top of the ladder as he climbed down. I peered over and lowered my bag down to him by the strap. He looked up; waving me down with his hand. I turned; and started my descent. I moved slowly; not wanting to miss a rung and go crashing down the ladder; injuring both myself and Jack at the same time. I lowered myself down; my foot slipping off the very last rung and I staggered back. Jack grabbed my shoulders; stopping me from falling.

"Something else you should know about me Jack?" I said; taking my bag from him.

"What's that?" he half laughed.

"I have a habit of being a bit clumsy," I chewed the corner of my lip.

"Well, we have that in common, dear Alexander," he laughed and pulled me by the bag strap up the center aisle. "Who's the one that's knocked you down, twice?"

"You have a point," I laughed with him.

'Come on," Jack whined. "I'm hungry."

"I'm coming, I'm coming," I laughed and followed Jack into the cafeteria. "I just can't believe I skipped a class. I've never done that before."

"Sup fag?"

I whipped around at the sound of a harsh voice behind me.

"Excuse me?" I responded.

"You heard me," a big guy sneered. The letter man jacket told me he was some sort of jock. "I heard your little sing song in the hall during first period. That's a cute little song. Did you write it for your boyfriend?"

"Back off, Chris," Jack stepped up beside me; his arm steering me backward so I was standing behind him.

"Leave it Jack," I whispered to him. "It doesn't matter."

"No, it does fucking matter,' Jack yelled. I glanced around. The packed cafeteria all paying attention to us. "Seriously Chris? Fag? I thought you'd moved on from that sort of childish shit."

"No one asked you Jack-off," Chris told Jack. "Look at him. He even dresses like a fucking Nancy boy. He's a freaky little fagatron"

"Fagatron?" Jack laughed in Chris' face before swinging his fist and connected it with Chris' nose.

A sickening crack echoed through the silent cafeteria followed by a gasp. Chris' hand flew to his nose; the anger burned in his eyes. I stared at the blood; suddenly feeling sick to my stomach. Someone seized my hand and pulled me away form the situation; dragging me away from Chris and out the cafeteria doors.

"Fucking get him, you morons!" I heard Chris shout behind me.

I looked up to see that it was Jack that had a hold of my hand. His was warm, comforting as well as strong. He had a grin on his face as we started to run; I just barely kept up with him. We kept running; through the people gathering things from their lockers, past a few teachers and out the big wooden doors at the front of the school. I noticed the sun had made an appearance. We were half way down the block when Jack finally let go of my hand. It felt empty without his there.

"I can't believe I just did that," Jack exclaimed; excitedly. He jumped up and down; spinning midair. "Did you see that? I hit him. I have never had the guts to do that before; ever. He's been bullying me for years."

"Yeah, I saw," I answered in a low voice.

"Oh kid," Jack grinned; draping his arm across my shoulders and pulling me close to him as we walked along the path. "The strength you give me."

"It's highly likely that you're going to cop shit for this," I told him. "You probably just broke that guy's nose."

"So?" Jack shrugged a grin still on his face. "He had it coming. Besides, you're worth it. That was just, exhilarating."

"I'm glad you had fun," I muttered; guilty filling me from head to toe.

"You want to get something to eat?" Jack asked randomly. "I'm starving."

I looked at him incredulously.

"My shout?" he smiled hopefully; his face expressing innocence I didn't think possible of Jack.

"What are we having?" I gave in.

"I know a place," Jack grinned and grabbed my hand again.

My body filled with that warmth again; a smile finally appearing.

~

Jack and I slid into a booth at a diner a few blocks from school. The seats were made of red vinyl, black and white tiles covered the floor and the waitresses wore roller blades. It looked like something right out of Grease.  
Jack was still smiling when he slid a menu my way and picked one up for himself. I watched Jack; his big brown eyes scanning the menu. I took a deep breath and released it.

"Thanks Jack. For standing up for me I mean," I told him. "You didn't have to."

"It's no problem," Jack shrugged and lay the menu on the table.

We fell silent and I scanned the menu. Burger combos, with fries and a milkshake jumped out at me. I hadn't really eaten a lot for ages; but suddenly I felt hungry.

"You aren't though, are you?" Jack asked quickly.

"Aren't what?" I asked; confused.

"You know," Jack leaned forward on the table. "Gay. A fag"

"What? No." I managed to get out. "Why would you ask that?"

"Chill dude," Jack laughed; holding both hands up in surrender. "I was just asking."

"Oh," I recoiled into my seat. "Sorry."

"No sweat," Jack smiled again. "Now. What do you want on your burger?"

~

After stuffing ourselves with massive hamburgers, milkshakes and fries worthy of a heart attack, Jack and I walked to the mall. He had insisted on buying me something.

"I don't understand why this is necessary," I shook my head as I stared at myself in the mirror of the change room.

"Those assholes are always picking on how you dress," Jack said as-a-matter-of-factly outside the change room door. "Why not change it up a bit?"

"Do you think a pair of jeans will make a difference?" I asked; frustrated by his want to pay for everything.

"Yes," Jack whined. "Now, do they fit? Can I see?"

I heard the door creak slightly and I stepped back against it to keep it closed.

"Yes Jack, they fit," I told him and started to undo them. "You're not seeing me in them though."

"I will if you wear them to school," Jack claimed.

"Yeah, well. Whatever," I huffed; pulling off the black skinny jeans Jack had picked out and pulled my own back on.

I stepped out of the change room with the jeans over my arm.

"Can we just buy them and go home?" I asked.

"Fine," Jack agreed with a frown. "Let's go."

We walked home quickly; not noticing how late in the afternoon it was. We stopped outside Jacks house.

"Alright, well, I'll see you tomorrow," Jack shrugged.

"Yep," I smiled; stepping closer and hugging him loosely. "Thanks again. For everything."

"It's no big deal," Jack smiled. "See ya."

I watched him walk up his path and through his open front door. I walked up the street quickly; breaking into a light jog. I got to the door; and stepped through; closing it quietly behind me. I ran up the stairs, to my bedroom and dumped my bags on my bedroom floor. I walked over to my full length mirror and surveyed my appearance.

"Alex, honey. I'm glad you're home," my mum's voice invaded my room. "I was just heading out to the mall. Do you need anything?"

"No," I shook my head; studying my clothing in the mirror. Mum walked away; I heard her walking down the stairs. Was there really something that bad about the way I dress? I frowned.

"Actually mum?" I called. "Do you mind if I come with you?"


	8. Chapter 8

Jack's POV

Climbing on the bus as usual, I wasn't surprised when I didn't find Alex on board. I walked towards the back this time; plonking down on a vacant seat two seats from the back row. I smirked back at Chris Stanley. He sat with a white plaster over the top of his nose; dark purple bruises were under his eyes and across the top of his cheek. I smiled to myself and turned back to the front of the bus; pulling out my iPod and choosing to listen to Five For Fighting's track, Superman. I stuck my head phones in my ears and slid the iPod into my jeans pocket; crossing my arms over my black hoodie clad chest.

I chewed the inside of my lip and stared out the window. I was nervous about seeing Alex today. We had been so, mushy yesterday; almost as if we were a couple. I was worried that I had scared him off. I don't know which way he swings; heck, I don't know which way I swing. I know I like chicks, but I guess when it comes to some guys, I can't help but be somewhat attracted to them. I shrugged to myself. I've got nothing against different sexualities; it just scared me to be thinking such things about a guy I've only just met. Not to mention we're kind of opposites. He's so neat and tidy; polite and smart; clean cut and a perfectionist. I'm just, not. Any of those things. I'm messy, rude, I swear, I can be polite, sometimes, I'm a mess when it comes to my appearance; I hardly even do my hair. He's so, handsome, in a way and when he smiled at me yesterday, my heart beat double in pace. It scared the shit out of me when he was so close. I just wanted to hold his hand; it's so soft. Maybe he was interested in me that way; maybe he liked what he saw when he saw me. Who am I kidding? I'm nothing; nothing but Jack Barakat. He's everything.

I sighed as the bus pulled up outside of school. Maybe Alex wouldn't show today. Maybe he wouldn't bring up how damn cuddly we had been yesterday. Maybe, if he did show he would just ignore me. That'd work; just ignore the situation entirely. Or maybe, he would be even more cuddly. Maybe he would just carry on from yesterday with the cuddly, couple type behavior. I stood up and followed the cue off the bus; keeping my ipod going in both years until I reached the driver; thanking from the usual, fast, smelly and unsafe trip. I stuck the headphone back in as I approached the building; walking up the stairs watching my feet. I looked up when my toes touched linoleum; finding Zack and Rian standing by their lockers as they always did. I walked towards them; pulling one headphone free from my ear and sticking it down the front of my hoodie. I rolled my sleeves up; the humidity of the hallway hitting me like a brick wall.

"Morning," Rian smiled.

"Sup dude?" Zack grinned; holding up his hand for a high five.

I obliged and nodded in direction of Rian in reply to his morning.

"You alright?" Rian asked. "You look like shit."

"Thanks man," I muttered.

I turned to my locker; entering the combination and stuffing my backpack inside; pulling out my English text book. I turned back to my friends as they compared lunch sandwiches; leaning against the locker on my shoulder.

"Jack, man," Zack started. "Is that, that Alex kid?"

I turned around slowly; scanning the hallway for what Zack was talking about. My eyes fell on a figure walking directly towards me. It sure looked like Alex; except, well everything about his appearance. He smiled as he approached; stopping in front of me. I scanned his frame. He wore his beanie from the first day; a light gray one. He had on a black v-neck t-shirt, teamed with a camouflage print hoodie; he had the hood up. As I traveled downwards, I smiled at the black skinny jeans he was wearing and the pristine converses that donned his feet. I looked back up to his face; even his hair was darker. He popped his gum.

"What do you think?" Alex asked; catching my eyes.

"Wow," Jack breathed.

"We'll leave you to it, mate," Zack slapped me on the back. "See you in maths."

"Yeah, yeah," I waved him off.

"You look, way different," I managed. "Like, good different. Really good."

I watched Alex as he smiled and blushed; lowering the hood off his head and pulling off his beanie. He tousled the hair at the back of his head and smoothed his fringe over his face; out of his eyes. His hair was shorter too.

"You dyed your hair," I stated the obvious.

"You said to change it up a bit," Alex shrugged and turned to his locker four down from mine. I stepped up to meet him. "I thought; why not change a little more than a bit?"

"You changed a lot more than a bit, Lex," I stated; admittedly checking him out.

"You do like it don't you?" Alex looked at me; his eyes suddenly worried.

"Oh, yes," I nodded quickly. "I like it. You look great."

I couldn't help but stare at him. He looked absolutely fantastic; from the hair to the jeans, from the t-shirt to the brand new converses. He looked amazing from top to toe.

"Nice jeans by the way," I smirked.

"Thanks," Alex smiled at me with that smile from yesterday.

"You know," I started. "Since I met you, I've seen so many different smiles."

"How do you mean?" Alex pulled out his English book and closed the locker door.

"I mean, you've got different smiles," I told him.

"Example?"

"Well, just then, when you blushed that smile, with like only a little of your teeth showing," I explained. "Then your 'nervous smile,' like yesterday after I hit Chris. It's like a half smile. And there's your grin when you're happy and the one where you were explaining about your brother. You have so many."

"How do you notice these things?" Alex asked me.

"I don't know," I shrugged; suddenly embarrassed. "Um. I just, notice them."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but, that's sort of cute," Alex smiled at me; a different smile.

"How could I take that the wrong way?" I smiled.

"Jack Barakat. Please report to the principal's office," a voice boomed over the pa. "Jack Barakat. Principal's office immediately."

"Shit," I muttered; looking at the ground.

I saw Alex hand come near my face and he lifted my chin. He looked in my eyes. My heart started beating; faster than ever before.

"I'll see you in English," he bit his lip and smiled that smile again. "You bad boy."

He turned on his heal and walked slowly away from me. I watched him go. I recognized that smile now. Everyone has a smile like that. it was a flirty smile.


	9. Chapter 9

Alex's POV

What the heck has gotten into me? Was I flirting with Jack? Was that what that just was? I walked away from Jack slowly; no doubt leaving him completely confused by my behavior. Unless, he caught on to the flirting. Wait what? Did I want him to catch on to the flirting? Am I interested in Jack like that? Do I like him like that? Do I like him as more than just the best mate he had become in such a short period of time? Was I falling for him? Was I falling for that goofy mush ball that was Jack Barakat? I smiled to myself as I entered the English class room. I was. I was falling for him. What an odd feeling?

I slid myself into my seat near the front of the classroom, beside Jack's current vacant one. I smiled again. It felt kind of weird, but not out of place. Jack's a nice guy; a really nice guy. Sure, he's not perfect, he's a bit of a mental case but in possibly the best way. I feel like I know him better then I know myself; not that that's hard. He paid attention to me, he helped me out and he comforted me in a time of need. He could have just ignored me on that first day, but he didn't. Not to mention standing up for me yesterday with Chris and his cronies.

His reaction to my new look was priceless. He was shocked but I could tell by the way he stared at me that he loved it.

What if I told him what I'm feeling? What if I said, "Jack. I think I like you." What would his reaction be? Would he freak out? I wouldn't freak out if he said that to me, would i? Oh god. I chewed my lip. What if he actually feels the same way? Am I even ready to commit to someone again? Am I ready to commit to a guy? I sat back in my chair and crossed my ankles in front of me; crossing my arms across my chest.

"Good morning class," Ms Coleman's voice interrupted my thoughts and filled the room.

I sat up properly; leaning on the desk.

"Alright," Ms Coleman started; leaning against her desk gingerly picking up a stack of papers from her left. "I'll be handing out your very first assignment of the semester today."

The class groaned. Seriously; if you don't want to do assignments, why bother coming to school? I'm sure we wouldn't miss you.

"It's a poetry and short story assignment," Ms Coleman continued; ignoring the objection. "What you have to do is find a partner. You will write one poem and your partner has to write on in response to yours, so they tell a story; sort of."

I smiled at the task; this will be easy.

"Now, find your partner and I'll hand out the task," she instructed.

I sat back in the chair again as she approached my desk.

"Where's Mr Barakat?" she asked.

"He's in the principals office," I told her.

"Oh," she frowned at his absence. "Do you mind being paired with him? He's pretty hopeless so it should be an easy task for you to beat."

"Well, he's not hopeless," I argued; offended by what she said about Jack. "But alright. I'd like to be his partner."

"That's settled then," she nodded and handed me two task sheets. "Make sure he gets that."

I heard some of Chris's friends in the back snigger. Chris was probably with the principal with Jack. I waited until Ms. Coleman finished her round of the class room and made it back to her desk; turning to the board and writing a heading across the top, before turning around to Chris' mates.

"I'm not afraid to smack you all like Jack did to Chris," I sneered at them. Where was this confidence coming from? "You guys want a broken nose too?"

I continued to glare at them as they fell silent; looking taken aback by my threat. I looked up from them as Jack entered the class room; frowning with his arms crossed across his chest. He didn't look happy.

"Thank you for joining us Mr. Barakat," Ms. Coleman told him sarcastically.

"You're welcome," came Jack's smart-ass reply.

Jack walked over and sat heavily into a chair; dumping his bag on the floor. He lay his on the table; his face looking in my direction. I mimicked his action; looking at him. He smiled as his eyes met mine and he sat up.

"What happened?" I whispered to him.

"Just detention," he shrugged.

"You seem pretty pissed off," I stated.

"Yeah, I am," he frowned again. "He got fucking nothing. Not even a slap on the wrist. I told the principal everything; bullying me, calling you a fag and all that. He just said he didn't want to hear it and that "physical violence will not be tolerated.'"

I stifled a laugh at his imitation of the grouchy principal.

"That's bull shit," I shook my head.

"I know," he sat forward in his chair; leaning on his elbows.

"Anyway, we got an assignment," I told him and slid his copy of the task to him. "We've been partnered. We have to like write a poem each; like yours with be a response to mine or vice versa and they tell a story."

Jack groaned and I looked at him; disappointed.

"What? Don't you want to be my partner?" I asked him softly. I looked down; picking up the string of my hoodie and chewing on the end. I looked up to Jack when he rested his hand on my leg under the table.

"No no. It's not that," Jack assured me with a smile. "I just hate poetry. I can't write to save myself."

I smiled back at him; relieved. I looked down at his hand on my leg and he moved it quickly; crossing his arms on the table. He suddenly looked nervous or something.

"I'll write the first one then," I offered; resting my hand on his leg this time to tell him that I didn't mind. He loosened his arms and turned to face me; leaning against the wall beside him. "And you write the response."

"Deal," he grinned and held out his hand.

I slid mine into his slowly. We shook hands; both of us not loosening our grip. I swallowed; grazing my teeth along the side of my bottom lip. I smiled ever so slightly at Jack and he dropped my hand like a hot potato. He turned back to the front of the classroom; a blush creeping its way on to his face. I turned to the front also; a grin forming on my face.

Jack's POV

I still couldn't believe I had blushed in English. The damn bastard, Alex, made me blush. I never blushed; never! The day had plodded on quite quickly after that. Alex had been talking all day. We had even more conversations. In Spanish he swore at me in Spanish; telling me I should practice all the time. I had cocked my eyebrow at him as if to say, you're kidding right?

"Jack. Si usted jamás quiere entrar estos pantalones que usted practicará," he had smirked.

Of course, I didn't know what he had said to me; until I looked it up in a Spanish to English dictionary. All I remembered was pants. I was confused.

I currently sat beside Zack in the back of our maths classroom, scamming a way to get out of there.

"I've got a stink bomb," Zack scrawled on a piece of paper and slid it to me subtly.

I looked at him and grinned; nodding. I sat writing noted down off the board. Zack picked up his bag and unzipped it; peering inside. Half his arm disappeared as he went to the bottom of the bag. He grinned at me and nodded. He pulled the plug on in an waited until the teacher turned around to slide it under the girl diagonally across from us' chair. He sat up; zipping his bag back up and waited for the smell to consume us all. I sniffed subtly and the smell of rotten eggs hit my nose. My hand flew to my nose and my eyes watered.

"Fuck! What's that smell?" someone down the front yelled.

"Dean watch you lan... oh my goodness. What is that awful odor?" the teachers face screwed up and he pulled a hanky from his picket and held it over his mouth and nose. "Everyone outside immediately. Let's go."

The teacher led the way out of the classroom; closely followed by a bunch of squealing cheerleaders and the rest of the class. Zack and I left last; high fiving as we crossed the horizon of the door.

"We're awesome," Zack grinned; swinging his bag over his shoulder.

"Oh, we so are," I agreed.

"I got to piss," Zack announced. "I'll see you in the cafeteria."

"Alright man," I nodded and turned towards the cafeteria myself; walking quickly to avoid being questioned by my maths teacher.

I stepped through the swinging doors of the cafeteria; the smell of something cooking filling my nose. Probably the lovely "mystery meat" they served every day. I looked up and found Alex sitting at one of the tables; the one we had sat at on his first day. I smiled at him. He had his beanie back on; he was hunched over a text book. His fringe hung in his face. He looked up a little; sticking his pencil in his mouth and picking something up on his left. As I approached I noticed it was his calculator. He was doing math; or chemistry.

"hey," I greeted him with a smile.

He looked up slowly and smiled in return.

"Hey yourself," he told me; closing his text book.

"Are you giving up?" I asked; sliding onto the seat beside him; keeping a distance but sitting close at the same time.

"No," Alex shook his head. "It's almost done. I just happen to think that you're more interesting than my maths homework."

"Oh really now?" I asked; smirking and leaning on the table looking at him.

"Definitely," he nodded.

I smiled at him.

"Hold on," he adjusted his beanie. "The bell hasn't rung yet. Why are you out of class? You aren't ditching again are you?"

"No," I shook my head and leaned close to him; my face really close to his ear. He tensed. "Zack and I let off a stink bomb in maths."

"you didn't?" Alex whipped his head around quickly; his nose colliding with mine. "sorry!"

"It's alright," I replied; rubbing my nose. "And yes. Yes we did."

"you are bad, Jack Barakat," he shook his head at me.

"I am," I smirked. "But you love it."

"Oh do I now?" Alex asked me; his voice dripping with both sarcasm and flirtatiousness.

The bell rang loudly; echoing through the hall. I kept my eyes trained on Alex's face; memorizing the curves of his features. He had such a; pretty face. Yeah; that's right. A pretty face.

"Hey guys," Rian's voice joined us at the table.

I tore my eyes away from Alex; leaving him smiling.

"Hey man," I held out my fist and he knocked his against mine.

Rian sat down across from us; pulling out his sandwich and a bottle of water.

I shrugged; deciding to get out my lunch too; an apple and a ham and cheese sandwich.

"What's on yours?" Rian asked me.

"Ham and cheese," I smiled; taking a bite.

"Damn," Rian frowned. "I've got baloney. What about you Alex?"

"oh. I already ate. Had some of that mystery meat," he answered Rian with a look of disgust. "It was awful."

"Guys guys!" Zack came bounding into the cafeteria. He dodged his way past the growing masses. He collided with a girl from the grade below us and she blushed like a loon. "Shit sorry babe. Guys! Guys! Guess what?"

Zack kneeled on the chair beside Rian and we all looked at him. I exchanged a glance with Alex who wore the same expression as both Rian and i.

"Well, aren't you going to guess?" Zack asked excitedly.

"Why don't you just tell us, Zack?" Alex suggested.

"You're no fun, Gaskarth," Zack plonked himself down on the chair and pouted like a child. Alex shrugged. "Well, there's a beach trip or party or whatever on Sunday."

"And?" Rian pushed.

"Well, it's open to everybody," Zack grinned. "Are we in?"

"I'm in," Rian shrugged. "I've got nothing else to do on Sunday."

I looked over to Alex who wore a smile.

"You two in?" Zack asked.

"are you?" Alex turned and asked me.

"I'm in if you are," I shrugged.

"I guess we're in," Alex grinned.

"Excellent," Zack nodded and pulled out his lunch.

I looked over to Alex and smiled at him. I grew kind of nervous. I wasn't sure how I was going to react to seeing Alex in his board shorts; or how my body was going to react anyway. But, would I pass up the chance to see his body for the first time? Fuck no.


End file.
